


The Long Way Around

by Noteventhat (Facialteeth)



Category: Shadowhunters (TV), The Shadowhunter Chronicles - Cassandra Clare
Genre: Alec's POV, Alternate Universe - Zombie Apocalypse, Angst with a Happy Ending, Blood and Injury, Blood and Violence, F/F, Gen, Loss of Limbs, M/M, Major Character Injury
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-27
Updated: 2020-05-27
Packaged: 2021-03-03 00:28:25
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,807
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24405811
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Facialteeth/pseuds/Noteventhat
Summary: The apocalypse they could deal with but when Izzy, Clary and Magnus disappeared- that was a little harder to bear. Still, they managed to keep going, truly thinking they'd never see them again.Alec was never so happy to be wrong about something.
Relationships: Clary Fray/Isabelle Lightwood, Jace Herondale/Meliorn, Magnus Bane/Alec Lightwood, Simon Lewis/Raphael Santiago, past Clary Fray/Jace Herondale
Comments: 12
Kudos: 134
Collections: Favorite Malec Stories





	The Long Way Around

**Author's Note:**

> There's only one scene with violence but it's graphic, so please read the tags! It involves a limp being cut off.

The loss of Clary, Izzy and Magnus hung heavy on them all for a long time. To lose one of them would have been hard but to lose all three of them at once had been almost unimaginable. Yet, they all knew they were gone.

They’d been on a supply run. They were less equip then, less confident in what they were doing. Now, they had supply runs down to a science but then, they’d hardly known what they were doing at all. The new chaos of their world had been overwhelming and they’d been trying to navigate something they knew nothing about. 

They wouldn’t have died had they been as prepared as they were now but they weren’t. The three of them had split from the group. They’d gone to scavenge anything from the pharmacy while Jace, Alec and Max went to get any food they could find. There were a couple of zombies around the pharmacy, so Max had stayed with Alec and Jace but they hadn’t thought it was anything to worry about. With the three of them, they could take them out easily. 

It was only when they came back to get them that they realized they’d greatly underestimated the situation. The pharmacy had been surrounded. They hadn’t left them there of course. They’d tried everything. Jace took out as many of them as he could, trying to keep Max close all the while. Alec had backed up and tried to scale the building behind them, trying to see where they’d gotten cover, trying to see if he could spot them at all. He thought maybe they’d made it onto the roof.

They weren’t on the roof though and when Alec couldn’t see them inside, that’s when he started to panic. There were big windows on the pharmacy and Alec should have been able to see them. He should have been able to at least see a room they’d ducked into but he couldn’t see anything. He could see two rooms and the doors were open. There were already zombies inside, he was sure. 

Alec had yelled for them. The zombies had turned and lurched towards the noise, enough so for Jace to yell at Max to back up and then slip into the building. 

It had been stupid, all of it. Jace leaving Max alone, Jace going into the building in the first place, Alec yelling. It had been dangerous but the three of them had made it out unscathed anyway.

But Izzy, Magnus and Clary hadn’t. They hadn’t been inside. Jace has found Clary’s backpack dropped near the open back door. It led out into an enclosed alleyway. It was so overrun that Jace couldn’t even see past all the zombies to see if their bodies were still there or if they’d been eaten completely. 

They had to have run out the back door. They probably didn’t know it was a dead end. If they had, they’d have run out the other way but by the time they made it out there, it would have been too late. Whatever had happened, they hadn’t made it back into the building and they hadn’t made it back on to the street where they were supposed to meet. 

They waited for close to an hour anyway, hoping. Finally, it started getting dark and they had to leave. They’d gone back to their base (which had been nothing more than a trailer and a truck they’d been using to move around) and there, they’d waited for nearly a week. They’d been moving around, trying to find a more permanent place to stay but that week, they just stayed and waited. 

If they had been okay, they would have managed to come back to where they were staying. That week, they all waited and they all hoped even though they knew they weren’t coming back. Every noise Alec heard, he jumped, hoping to see Magnus coming towards him. He never did and neither did his sister or Clary. At that point, they had to realize they weren’t coming. They had to pack their stuff again and leave. 

That had been the hardest it had ever been, even harder than when everything had just started to go to hell months before. It had been hard then too but at least, he’d had Magnus. Jace had Clary. They’d had their family. If it hadn’t been for Max, Alec wasn’t sure if he’d have kept going after that but he had Max. Max had been a kid and he’d been hurting from the loss of his family too, so Alec had to be strong. Alec had to keep them going and he had to keep them safe.

Somehow, he managed it.

In the end, it had paid off for them because they’d found a secluded ranch that had been perfect for what they needed. It had a fence around the entire property. There was a huge greenhouse, one they didn’t quite know how to make use out of but it was there regardless. They didn’t have electricity or gas but there was a giant generator. There were even solar panels. They didn’t work and they didn’t know how to get them to work but they could figure it out eventually. It had potential. The entire place could be perfect, someday. 

Alec threw himself into fixing it up. It helped distract him from everything else. 

Then, Meliorn had joined them. They’d found Meliorn hurt and for some reason, Jace had liked him enough to convince him to come back to their place to heal. Meliorn hadn’t really been in a position to say no, even though he hadn’t looked too thrilled about it. 

In the time that he’d been stuck there with them, Jace had managed to get Meliorn to like him, somehow. Meliorn was charmed by him and even Alec could see how Jace lapped up attention Meliorn gave him, like a puppy. Meliorn had also seen the greenhouse and been appalled they weren’t using it. That’s when Alec learned that Meliorn was a botanist and that's when Alec had realized that Meliorn could be an asset to them. 

He hadn’t minded Jace buddying up to him after that. Whatever it took to make Meliorn stay. If they could use the greenhouse and have something more to eat then just what they had in cans, Alec would do anything to make it happen. 

Apparently, Jace was just as dedicated because Meliorn had only been there for a few weeks when Alec had caught them making out in the greenhouse they were supposed to be working on. 

Needless to say, Meliorn hadn’t left and after a few months, they’d had a greenhouse full of budding vegetables and fruits. Alec hadn’t commented when Meliorn had moved into Jace’s room, nor when they’d both cleaned out the octagonal closet in the greenhouse and moved in there. 

They had food and that’s all Alec cared about.

They had others that joined them too. Jace had met Simon on a supply run and he’d brought him back because Simon claimed he knew how to fix their solar panels. He came along with his grumpy boyfriend, Raphael, and when Alec had met them for the first time, he’d been convinced that Simon was bluffing. 

They were in rough shape. They didn’t have shelter. It didn’t look like they had much food left. Alec had been pleasantly surprised when two days later, Simon had actually managed to get the solar panels up and running and for the first time in over a year, they had electricity that lasted for longer than an hour when the small bit of gas they found ran out. 

Meliorn was thrilled that the sprinklers in the greenhouse were working. Max had just been excited that they had lights and he’d been even more excited when Alec found a dvd player for him to watch all the movies they’d found in the basement. Alec was excited because their fence was electric. It didn’t run all the way around the property. It was only out back where there had to have been an animal or two at some point but it wouldn’t be that hard to extend it to wrap all the way around.

A human could jump it but they made the fence taller until even a person would have a hard time with it. It wasn’t impenetrable but it was enough to make anyone pause and it was enough for Alec to finally feel like maybe, they were safe here. Simon had been allowed to stay and they’d even given a pass to his boyfriend. 

For a while, Raphael was an annoyance to them all. He was aggravating. He was angry and Alec didn’t understand what Simon saw in him at all but then, Raphael had told them he’d had a bit of a rebellious past before he’d cleaned up his act and before their whole world had gone down.

He could pick locks, basically. He could pick locks and he knew how to hijack cars without the keys. It was something Alec had always wished he’d learned to do but he’d grown up a rich white boy who was terrified of authority. Raphael could get them into anywhere and that had turned out to be more of an asset than even Alec had imagined it would be. 

They broke into the gun store, with its armored doors and seemingly impenetrable windows. They took all of the guns and ammo they could but guns weren’t very practical. They were loud and unless your options were using one or death, they weren’t very useful. They took the cross bows and bows too. Alec had been into archery when he was in high school and he’d been a bit more excited to shoot again then he’d like to admit.

Back home, they’d all had fun spending the day trying to shoot things. Alec showed Max how to shoot an arrow. He hadn’t even managed to hit the target but Jace hadn’t either, so Alec didn’t think Max felt too bad. 

Meliorn humored Jace, who kept pushing his boyfriend to try and shoot it. He hit the target pretty close but reminded Jace that weapons were not his thing. Jace had whistled and murmured, “You could have fooled me.” 

Simon didn’t even want to try. Raphael had been okay with it too but he preferred guns. He insisted if they could find a military base, he could get a good silencer and then, they could use all the guns all they wanted.

Alec still didn’t think that was very practical. Ammo wasn’t reusable, like arrows were but Alec’s mind had instantly jumped to everything else they could find on a military base. 

They went a couple of days later. They would have been screwed if the base wasn't abandoned. Still, they hadn’t seen anyone else besides their own in months. It almost seemed like they were the only ones left but if any place would still be occupied, it was bound to be a military base.

It hadn’t been occupied. It had been completely and utterly abandoned. 

Inside, Alec had stopped in the doorway and thought about what that really meant for them. The military would not have left this place abandoned if they were still around. They found so much food. They found so many weapons, more than they could ever need (though, they took all they could). They found emergency supplies, flares, radios and equipment they hadn’t even thought about. 

If the military was still active, any part of it, they would not have left this all here. Alec had always thought that somewhere, the government was still active. Of course, they were. They had supplies and secret bases and things they’d hidden from the public. Of course, they were out there somewhere in their underground base, living like nothing had happened. 

But the base was completely empty, except for them and for the first time, Alec wondered if it really was just them left. He wondered if their small group of six was all that was left in the entire world. 

Eventually, he'd looked up and walked towards Jace, who was holding an assault rifle like he was a kid who’d found candy, while Meliorn rolled his eyes. Alec had smiled or attempted to and he’d tried to stop thinking about it. 

Besides, Raphael had found something else. There were tanks. There were tanks and jeeps and Raphael was almost sure he could get them started, if Alec wanted them to take them. Alec had nodded and the next thing he’d heard was Max screaming from the top of a tank hatch for Alec to look at him. 

They were set, basically. They had all the food and weapons they could want. They had electricity. They had military grade vehicles for when they had to go out and they had a home that was safe enough for everyone to relax and big enough for everyone to have their own space. 

It was almost too big though and Alec’s bed particularly felt a little too empty most of the time. Alec tried not to think about that.

It was a normal supply run when it finally happened. They didn’t go out much anymore. They didn’t need to but Meliorn insisted that they needed to resoil the greenhouse or all their plants would start to suffer. He also informed Alec that using the dirt outside would be like pouring bleach on them. 

Alec didn’t question him any further. Meliorn was the only reason they had steady food and he said they needed dirt, so Raphael and him had set out to find a gardening center. Alec was sure they weren’t in very high demand. Unless someone was living there, he doubted they’d even been looted. Who needed dirt during an apocalypse? Them, apparently. 

They’d found one mostly untouched. A window was broken out front but it didn’t look like anything inside had been damaged. They’d ducked up, scoped out the area and then, they’d started carrying bags of dirt out to the car. Alec wasn’t exactly sure how much Meliorn needed but the greenhouse was huge, so they’d grabbed as much dirt as they could.

Alec had also grabbed a bunch of seeds. It couldn’t hurt and he thought it would be nice to plant some flowers anyway. Meliorn would have to direct him. He probably knew more than the little packet said. ‘Direct sunlight’ Alec read on one but what was direct sunlight anyway? The sun moved. It got dark at night. 

No, Meliorn would have to help or Alec would plant them and hope they were resilient. Regardless, Alec thought it would be nice to have flowers around.

They had gotten as many supplies as they needed. Now was a good time to start grabbing stuff they didn’t need. As they were walking out, Alec grabbed a wind chime and slipped it into his pocket too. He thought Max would like it but it was also gold and orange and for some reason, it reminded him of Magnus. 

Raphael didn’t comment if he saw him take it. Alec had seen him take stuff before, presumably for Simon. Neither of them ever commented on it. It wasn’t because they were stealing. Stealing wasn’t really a thing now. It was more the embarrassment of taking a wind chime when their whole world was crumbling.

Back in the jeep, they’d started to head back, talking quietly about the rain water harvester they’d been trying to improve. It worked. It filled their basins but they weren’t sealed completely. Leaves and dirt always got in somehow. It was clogging the pipes when they showered and they’d been cleaning it before using it to cook. It was better than having no water, Alec was sure they could all agree, but still, it could be improved.

They were nearly half the way back when something ran out in front of the jeep. Alec had almost kept going. Zombies ran out in front of the jeep all the time or didn’t move when they were coming. They’d long stopped being shy about running them over and after months without seeing a single other living person, Alec had almost kept going without even thinking about it but then, he’d registered that the thing in front of the jeep was waving it’s arms and yelling. All Alec had seen was a blur of orange hair and arms before he slammed on the brakes and veered to the side, almost going right off the road as he did. 

Raphael just managed to catch himself on the dashboard before he went flying through the window but Alec’s head cracked on the side of the armored car. He was sure he had a concussion and for a moment, his mind went fuzzy. He wasn’t sure if he’d really seen someone there or not and then, someone was pounding on the door of the jeep. 

Raphael reached for his gun instantly and Alec, either not thinking because of the concussion or just not thinking at all, reached for the door handle to push it open. There was a girl on the other side. She was dirty and her hair was wild on her head but Alec’s eyes snapped to hers. She was panicked. Alec could see it before he could see anything else. 

The girl darted forward and grabbed Alec by the arm. Alec heard Raphael cock the gun instantly and Alec’s hand shot out on impulse to push her away. She stumbled back but she kept speaking like Alec hadn’t pushed her at all. “We need help! My girlfriend, she’s-” 

Now a few feet back, the girl froze. Her eyes widened just as Alec was able to take in what he was really seeing for the first time. “Alec?” She whispered and Alec knew in that moment that he wasn’t seeing things. It was Clary. She looked different. She looked older than she should have now but it was Clary. He was sure of it. 

They didn’t have time to reconnect though because Clary was jolting forward again, grabbing Alec’s arm to pull him. This time, Alec didn’t push her away. “Izzy-” Clary said, breathless in her panic. “She needs help, Alec-” 

Alec didn’t have time to think about the fact that his sister was alive. He got out of the jeep and suddenly, Clary was pulling him. They were running between two buildings. Clary led him in, pushing him towards a dark room. They were in a gas station. There was hardly anything left in it but Clary was pushing Alec towards the closet. 

He went in blindly. Someone was holding a flashlight and there on the ground was his sister. She looked exactly like Alec had last seen her. More dirty perhaps, a few more scars but it was her. 

Alec heard someone gasp. His eyes darted up to meet who his sister was laying on and there was Magnus. Alec could hardly see him in the dark but he knew that it was him. He’d recognize him anywhere. 

Alec choked out his name, more sobbed it really but then Alec saw why Clary had been so panicked. He saw why she’d run in front of a military vehicle in the first place. She’d thought they were help and Clary hadn’t been lying. Izzy needed it. 

She was laying sprawled on Magnus’ legs but her arm was splayed to the side, exposing a horrible gash. Her skin looked like it had been ripped apart but that would have been okay. They would have been able to patch her up if it wasn’t obvious it was a bite. 

Alec didn’t even know what to do about that. No one had ever been bit. They’d been so careful to make sure it didn’t happen because they had no clue what to do when it did. Alec stared down at his sister in horror, grasping at her blood soaked shirt like it would do anything to save her, like it would make Alec know what to do to save her. 

Alec heard the door move behind him just before he heard Raphael saying, “You could have at least told me to turn the car off.” He fell silent for a moment or maybe it was minutes before he was moving forward. Alec blinked up at Raphael as he pulled the long machete blade out of his belt. He stared around briefly at each of them, trying to gauge the situation. “You want her to live?” He asked to no one in particular. 

Alec spoke before anyone else could, nodding. “Please, Raphael.” He begged out softly. 

“Go get the med kit from the jeep.” Raphael said in response. “Quickly.” He commanded before he turned down to look at Izzy again. Raphael reached for her arm and it was only then, right before it happened, that Alec realized what Raphael was going to do.

Raphael raised the blade high and he held it steady before he brought it down in a solid arch. Alec saw his sister’s arm falling limp, completely disconnected from her body, before he stood up and pushed past Clary to run to the Jeep, like Raphael had said. 

Alec grabbed the med kit and the rest of what happened was all a haze. He knew he made it back to them. He knew that when he walked in again, everything was covered in blood. Izzy had woken up and Clary was crying. Magnus was holding her still as Raphael snatched the med kit from Alec’s hands. 

Alec knew that Raphael had stopped the bleeding and tried to cauterized the wound. He knew that Izzy screamed and the next thing Alec remembered, they were all in the Jeep. His sister was in his arms. Clary was sitting at his side, clutching Izzy’s limp, remaining hand and _Magnus_ ; Magnus was sitting next to him, clutching his arm, silent as Raphael sped to their base. 

They pulled in and their base looked just serene as when they’d left. At the gate, Raphael pulled out the walkie talkie and told Jace to open it. Jace had responded that he’d be there in a minute. 

“Now,” was all Raphael said back and a moment later, the gate unlocked and Raphael drove right through, pushing it open with the Jeep rather than getting out and opening it like they normally did. If the gate was damaged, they’d fix it. It didn’t matter right now. 

Meliorn and Jace met them at the entrance. Meliron’s hair was more disheveled than normal and Jace’s was a complete mess but they were standing there anxiously, waiting for them to pull in. They could tell something was wrong just by the way Raphael had spoken. A minute later, Simon and Max appeared in the doorway, looking out just as anxiously. 

They probably thought someone had gotten hurt. They were right but they probably hadn’t expected Alec to step out of the car, holding his sister. They probably hadn’t expected Magnus and Clary to follow. 

Simon and Meliorn didn’t know them. They’d joined them after they’d already thought they were dead but Max and Jace knew and all at once, they both looked like they’d seen a ghost. Jace’s eyes met Clary’s, Magnus’ and then slowly, he looked down to Izzy limp in Alec’s arms. Finally, he ran forward.

“Alec.” He said, his eyes wide in shock. 

Alec pushed past him. He carried Izzy into the living room and placed her down on the couch. It was a black couch thankfully, so they wouldn’t have to deal with stains but that wasn’t what Alec was worried about. 

Meliorn looked confused between his boyfriend and Izzy’s wound before he turned and made a dash for their supplies. A moment later, he came back clutching a bottle of antibiotics and pain killers that he shoved into Raphael’s hands. 

For a moment, Alec was confused. He wasn’t upset that Meliorn had given them to Raphael but normally, stuff like that was delegated to him. He made the calls. He kept them safe. Anything important was pushed into Alec’s hands for _him_ to take care of. 

Then, he realized that he’d been standing by the couch, staring absently for what had to have been more than a minute. He looked down and saw that he was covered in Izzy’s blood. He probably didn’t look like he was ready to handle anything right now. 

Then, Alec felt a hand on his elbow. He turned and all at once, he realized something he’d been too overwhelmed to even register before. There was _Magnus_. Alec turned to him and caught his hand with a sob that he hadn’t even felt coming on. He was dirty. He had blood on him from Izzy and blood that looked older. His hair was a little shorter now. It looked like he’d just snipped it all off and he even had a little scar under his lip that hadn’t been there the last time Alec had seen him but it was undoubtedly him. 

Alec rushed forward. He caught Magnus against his chest and Magnus came as easily as if he’d been weightless. They were clutching each other and Alec heard himself talking, frantically, “I thought you were dead.” He was repeating over and over again, like if he kept saying it, it would somehow heal the years they’d lost. 

“I know.” Magnus was saying. “I thought-” He broke off and he pulled Alec tighter without another word. Somehow, they found their way to Alec’s room. Jace said he’d watch Izzy and Alec couldn’t do anything but nod. She would either be okay or she wouldn’t be. The least Alec could do was wash off her blood, so he didn’t still look like that if she woke up. 

Magnus himself looked like he needed a shower more than Alec did. He’d looked astonished when Alec had told him the water worked. Later, he’d get a tour. He’d see the greenhouse (if Meliorn let them in), the fence they’d worked on, their armory and all the supplies they had but for now, they both needed a shower and they both needed each other. 

Even as numb and as worn out as he was, Alec had never had a better shower in that bathroom. 

Izzy woke up that night. She was in a tremendous amount of pain but someone had been right there grabbing the painkillers for her. They made sure they’d cleaned and cauterize the wound correctly. They made sure it was wrapped up tight and getting rewrapped when it needed to. They’d done everything they could and she was awake. 

That was a better sign than anything. 

She’d woken up with Clary by her side and after the pain had subsided and she’d been able to breath again, she leaned out and kissed her. Clary had looked a little panicked and Jace, who was standing on the other side of the couch, instantly looked relieved. 

They were together the last time they’d all seen each other. Alec hadn’t really thought of that. Wordlessly, Jace reached out and he took Meliorn’s hand into his own. Meliorn and him were never exceptionally affectionate in public, voiding the brief kisses and the times when Jace would hang off him like a child but looking back on it, Alec hadn’t seen them touch at all since they’d rushed in with Izzy. 

Clary herself looked a little confused but she relaxed when she realized Jace wasn’t mad. It was a conversation that would come later, one that hopefully Alec wouldn’t be there for. 

“I was scared you’d move on.” Magnus murmured next to him, clearly seeing the same silent exchange that Alec had. “When you showed up with another man… Everything was so hectic. We didn’t have a moment. I wasn’t sure.” 

Alec pondered that. Raphael would have been disgusted if he’d heard Magnus say it. Softly, Alec shook his head. “Never.” He murmured quietly. He didn’t think he’d ever meant something more. “I’d never move on from you.”

Magnus leaned in and gently, he kissed the side of Alec’s mouth. “Let’s go give them some privacy.” He murmured, tugging Alec away. Jace and Meliorn had already left, Alec realized. “You can give me that tour. You certainly seem pretty set up here.” 

Alec thought back on the last year and everything they’d built for themselves. He thought of a bed that had been too empty every night before. “Yeah.” Alec said, a little breathless. “We are now.” 

Alec pulled Magnus towards the balcony first. It was a nice area but more than that, Alec wanted to know if he liked the wind chime he’d picked out. Alec had known he would.


End file.
